... and finally the tables are starting to turn.

its the nightmare before christmas and since i arrived, i promised my aunt, my cousins and my tatay (thats father in tagalog language, my father doesnt want to be called dad, papa or daddy. he wants to be called tatay, so i call him tatay eversince) that i will cook for christmas. call it noche buena, a dinner before christmas eve. god, this could be messy, as i am messy in the kitchen, but i guess i dont seem to mind.

i got a headache from last night, coz of unbelievable one beer i drank with isabel, apo, dennis and czarina and sleeping late. i asked my cousin shine, to accompany me to the grocery and buy some last minute things. for tonight, i decided to make a chicken macaroni salad and churrascos, which i learned in spain. then i asked my father, what would he like for the main course, and he said wistfully that he misses my mother's beef stew, so beef stew it is.

i am the only remaining cook in the family, or so self-proclaimed cook. my mother was the greatest cook in the world, she cooks the perfect cuisine, just the way it is. i thank god, that when i was a child, i kept pestering her in the kitchen, so i developed a sense of this taste bud that only reacts to my mum's cooking which is mostly european. thats why even if I AM asian, i dont have a liking for asian food, because i dont like the smell and the taste, forgive me. so i learned the craft and technique of my mum, not as 100% perfect, but passable.

my head was still hurting and i feel dizzy but im like a zombie focused only on one thing, but as early as 4 pm, i already started preparing things. the trickiest to cook is the beef stew, because it requires alot of time for the beef cubes to be soft and tender at the same time the onions should be intact as a ball, dont dissolve but remains soft and melts in the mouth. aaaarrrrrghhhhhhh, what a task for me.

all 4 people in the house were all looking at me. hahaha, i had to laugh, as they can't do anything. but i told my cousin shine to peel the vegetables and take the macaroni noodles out and rinse with cold water.

as i was simmering the beef stew, it's time for the churrascos to be bbqued. i marinated them in a special marinating sauce, very spicy with the most special citrone that couldnt be found in europe named kalamansi in tagalog. a very strong citrone, that gives out the very best aroma in bbqued meats.

now youre all wondering why i am only preparing beef and chicken and no pork. my father, long ago converted into islam and since he's a muslim, pork is naturally forbidden in the house - well only if hes there. yes, we are a very eccentirc family.

i asked my cousins, shine and jeffrey to start the fire for the bbq outside the house, in our dirty kitchen.

my arms were already killing me, because its the first time i cooked this huge with no one to help me. but i was having fun, as i was playing my mp3 at my father's old laptop and bonding with my cousins that i havent seen for 15 years. it was a bit difficult to talk with them as they dont know much tagalog, only their dialect, but as ive said earlier, having fun destroys all language barrier.

fireworks, children singing caroling and christmas lights from the neighbors are to be seen and heard outside. i looked at the sky, it was so beautiful. cloudless and with stars beautifully twinkling in the sky, a very warm night, but i felt a chill in my body.

it was already 8 pm when i finished making our food for the christmas. i was beat.  i cooked for almost 4 hours and in just 5 minutes, my aunt, my father, my 2 cousins devoured everything in 5 minutes! it felt as though i fed an army of spartans! hahahahahahahaha.

i was so proud, as my father told me, that ive copied exactly my mum's beef stew. i was beaming with pride, finally for once in my life, i did something right in the family.

i was so tired after cooking and eating, i brought the laptop in my room and listened to music. in no time, i fell asleep and deep.

i woke up with the dogs barking and to the sound of firecrakcers, it was almost midnight, 11:30 pm. i went to the living room and found my father there, apparently he was waiting for christmas too, my aunt and cousins were already asleep.

at midnight and the start of christmas, i greeted my father and wish each other all the best things in the world.

i waited for the firecrackers to stop when i went out as firecrackers in the philippines are not safely produced, then i went out.

i went to the place where our tradition at christmas always take place - WITH THE BOYS.

apparently they were expecting me to come out of the house. it was nice to see the boys again. i was usprised to see some of them married already and have kids in the short time i was gone.

i was a bit dissapointed that were not many as we used to be.

some moved, some died, some just dissapeared.

i have so many fond memories of the boys. we were all just teenagers when we became sort of friends.  then we had a youth club in the village, and eventually became the youth president. hahahaha. but no one would listen to me and some wont cooperate. hahaha. ah, the good times. some projects included, a beauty pageant, after that we got all drunk, next project, a caroling every christmas and used it to buy alcohol and get drunk, a basketball tournament, after some games, we get together to have a drink and get drunk. i could go on and on, it was nice to see them again and have jokes only we could understand. i miss the boys. ive spent my adolescent life with them. i miss how they pick on each other for butt teasing and pulling shorts hahaha, fought over a girl, helped them with their studies, tutor them - i basically grew up with them. but now, i guess we all have our own lives, some were succesful, some were not, but nevertheless, the boys will remain the boys.

i may not have the most expensive nor the most fabulous gifts this christmas, actually i never received anything this christmas, but i realized, having christmas with my father and my old old old friends is the best christmas present i have this year.